Vine Anatomy - Vine Training Systems.

The journey for a wine to be successful in the world market goes around with various things a Viticulturist has to do in the vineyard. To obtain a healthy fruit is not as easy as we think. There are certain practices need to be followed by a Viticulturist and one of them is training the wine. Vine training systems are way too important than we think, the training system is decided by the way the surrounding acts and also depends on the variety of grape or species one is planting. Now let’s talk about some basic Vine training systems, which you might see to your next visit to a Vineyard. 

Vine training is the way you treat the permanent wood of the Vine, which can be divided into two categories:

Head training: This type of vine training barely has any permanent wood. Most of them have a trunk, few types have short arms growing from the trunk. This type can be either be Spur pruned or replacement cane pruned.

@Head Training - Illustration.

Cordon Training: This type of vine training usually has a trunk with one or two permanent arms or cordon. This usually takes a long time to establish as it has more permanent wood. They usually go under Spur pruning. This category of training forms a very good structure for machine harvesting usually because of its sturdy structure as it has more permanent wood and the shoots are positioned along its length.

@Cordon Training - Double - Illustration.

Vine pruning is done to obtain the maximum yield of high-quality grapes and as well allow the adequate growth for the following season. Pruning if explained in simple words is the removal of unwanted leaves, canes and permanent wood. Pruning normally takes place in winter and summer season. Two types of winter pruning are as follows:

Spur Pruning: Spurs are a very short part of the one-year-old wood, which have been cut down to one or three buds. It is a more traditional method as it can produce some astonishing old vines. This type of training is usually carried out in warm climates. The spurs are distributed usually along the cordon of permanent wood or around the top of the trunk.

@Spur Training - Double Guyot - Illustration.

Cane pruning: Canes are a longer part of a one-year-old wood as it can have buds which can be between eight to twenty. Cane pruning is done majorly in cold climates. They are usually supported by the trellis system. This type of pruning is usually used for head training and is commonly referred to as Guyot training. It has been used all over the world and it is carried out for the most well-known and prestigious vineyards. Cane pruning needs skilled labour as it is a very complex method of pruning.

Some Common vine training methods are as follow:

Guyot: Guyot is a kind of training and pruning which was designed for the low to moderate capable vineyards. This system was developed in France by Dr Jules Guyot. Guyot systems can be configured in various ways, but traditionally is cane pruned. In this system, the vines are arranged horizontally along the trellis with either one or two arms. It can be divided into two types; if one cane is retained it is called as Single Guyot and if two canes are retained it is called Double Guyot. 

Geneva Double Curtain: This kind of method is excellent for a large-sized vine. The main aim of this method is to divide the dense canopy into two, by doing this it allows more sunlight to the fruit for perfect ripening.

@Geneva Double Curtain - Illustration.

Pergola: Pergola is an ancient vine training method was brought in by the Romans. In this method, the vines are trained on wooden frames or wires. This system has a very bad image as this type of method is used for producing a very high volume of fruit. It goes without saying, anything high in quantity might lack in quality. Hence the wine produced from them is generally labelled as insipid by consumers.

@Pergola System - Illustration.

Single Stake: Single Stake is another ancient method of training in which each of the vines is trained in its own single stake. This kind of training method makes cultivation on the steep slopes very easy. When we say steep slope it moves our attention to Mosel and Rhone. This kind of method is labour-friendly, as it allows the labours to move between the vines easily. But a vineyard needs to have a high labour cost for the ones who plant it.

Kouloura / Stephanie: A special and unique way of vine training system from Santorini, Greece which is also known as basket or wreath training. To train the vines in such way the viticulturist weave the cane in the shape of a large basket which rests on the volcanic soils This is done so the grapes will grow inwards in the basket, in turn protecting it from strong winds and strong summer heat.

Article by - Nikhil Surve, Certified Sommelier.